Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 248

“I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t lose.”

“I believe in you—you’ve got this!”

Claire was absolutely hyped, flooding Noreen’s phone with a long, rambling voice message full of encouragement.

Since she was in a public place, Noreen didn’t dare to play the message; she didn’t want people around her staring.

At last, Carman’s car showed up. He apologized, explaining he’d gotten stuck in parking lot traffic and was running late.

Once Noreen slid into the passenger seat, Carman glanced over and asked if she wanted to grab dinner together.

It was right around dinnertime, and Noreen was hungry anyway.

“What do you feel like eating?” Carman asked.

Noreen thought for a moment before giving him an address.

It was a small, unremarkable diner—one she hadn’t visited in ages.

Back in the early days, when Aurelion Group was just getting off the ground, Seth had rented an office in the aging commercial building across the street.

Noreen had been both his secretary and the company’s only all-purpose assistant, so she knew the neighborhood inside out.

She used to stop by this little diner all the time to pick up late-night snacks for Seth. Sometimes, when they both worked overtime, they’d come here together for a quick bite.

When Carman asked her where to eat, for some reason, this place popped into her head. So, here they were.

The street looked exactly the same as before—not a thing out of place.

Even the big plane tree beside the diner was still there, branches wild and full of life.

Her WhatsApp profile picture was taken right under that tree.

She was facing away from the camera, head tilted up, gazing at the tree beside the old streetlamp, the warm glow lighting her up. In that photo, she looked like someone brimming with hope for the future.

Seth had been the one behind the camera that day.

He’d asked her what she was thinking about at the moment he snapped the photo.

Noreen hadn’t told him.

He’d pressed her for an answer.

She’d promised to tell him someday—when the time was right.

Years had gone by, but she still remembered exactly what she’d been thinking in that instant.

Now, though, there was no reason to ever share it. Maybe she never would.

Everything here looked exactly the same.

But to her, it all felt strangely unfamiliar.

“Going to see Mr. Shaw?”

Noreen nodded.

Carman seemed to understand her motives right away. “You should take Sophia with you. She’s good at looking after people.”

“Okay. And if anything comes up with the smart port project, let me know right away,” Noreen said.

“Will do.” Carman hesitated, then tried to reassure her. “Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

“I know.”

She said it, but she didn’t really believe it.

If anyone else had been put in charge of this project, she probably wouldn’t have gotten involved at all—the stakes were too high, the pressure immense.

But she couldn’t stand the thought of Bianca getting the upper hand. She refused to let Seth win.

She couldn’t lose.

She had to win.

She had to show Seth—

He lost her because he was never good enough.